I don't own Melissa and Joey and never will. No copyright infringement intended.
Six hours away from Lennox and Zander's wedding, Mel and Joe struggled not to fall apart over the fact that their daughter's life was about to change forever. They were having trouble dealing with this big step in Lennox's life, despite the fact they had four other children.
"You two are crazy," Ryder informed them, rolling his eyes. He couldn't believe how emotional they were and it was driving him up the wall.
Joe laughed. "We're probably going to act like this too when you find the right girl and get married, kid. Prepare yourself for it. Lennox is my first little girl and I was unprepared for this onslaught of feelings."
"I have a daughter old enough to get married. It's throwing me for a loop," Mel explained to him.
"Okay, you have a seven week old daughter so you're not old like you're thinking. Second of all, you are our parents, but you didn't actually give birth to us. Calm down there." Ryder loved them both, but they had been acting weird for days now as the wedding quickly approached. Off Joe's glare, he apologized to them both.
"It's okay. We are acting a little irrational right now. Mostly because I did just have a baby and we're not sleeping very well." Mel adored her children, but she just wanted to sleep through the night for once. Was that too much to ask for?
"I miss sleep. Took that for granted." Joe didn't mind, though. He and Mel both adored their children and wouldn't trade them at all. They were happy and nothing could ever change that.
"We took so much granted when we had two teenagers in the house and no babies. But let's calm down and go see how Lennox is doing!" As the mother of the bride, Mel planned to spend several hours with her (provided they weren't interrupted by a crying newborn, toddler or five year old) before the walk down the aisle.
Joe didn't mind all that much that Lennox was growing up, however, and he liked Zander. They were a good fit. They had temporarily broken up for six months after starting college, but reconciled once they realized how unhappy they were. When he opened the door, Joe gasped when he saw her.
"How do I look?" Lennox turned around to look at them.
"You look beautiful. You chose the right dress." Mel had loved going dress shopping with her (and it was only fair considering Lennox had gone with her for her own dress), but she forgot how good Lennox looked in it.
"You're amazing." Joe walked over to her and kissed her on the forehead before smiling at Lennox. "You ready for this?"
Lennox nodded. "I am so ready for this. I'm marrying the man I love and I can't wait. I'm keeping my maiden name, though." Zander had no problem with that and even suggested a hyphenated last name for their future children, something she agreed to (she even had a name picked out that could work for either sex, but kids were far off yet).
"You've told us." Mel went to continue, but was interrupted by their youngest, Autumn, cooing. She rushed to the baby's side to see if anything needed to be taken care of. Luckily for them, Kelly and Lucas were distracted by their toys and on their best behavior.
The next few hours passed by more quickly than anyone thought they would, and it was soon time for the ceremony. Joe pulled Lennox aside to talk to her. "What's up?" Lennox was a bundle of nerves now and shaking a little bit, but maybe talking to her father would distract her.
Joe smiled at her. "I just wanted to tell you that I love you and you'll always be my little girl. I am so proud of you and honored that you asked me to walk you down the aisle."
Against her better judgment, she teared up. "Dad, I told you I didn't want to cry. Damn it. But I love you too and I'm glad I have someone like you in my life." She sniffled and then hugged him.
Two minutes later, Joe and Lennox started the walk down the aisle. The ceremony was short and both Lennox and Zander cried as they exchanged vows (everyone else cried, too, but would later deny it, and laughed when Lennox refused to obey him, but that was okay. Zander hated that line too).
The reception lasted long in the night, and Mel had to distract her from sobbing during the father-daughter dance. She and Joe were definitely Ryder and Lennox's parents and nothing could ever change that. She may not have given birth to them, but that didn't matter.
Ten years after they were married, after they got done traveling and building up their careers, Lennox and Zander welcomed their first child, a son they named Burke Joseph. Daughter Lanie Ryder followed three years after that.
Mel and Joe took their role as grandparents very seriously and spoiled the kids rotten. They mentioned multiple times it was their prerogative. And Joe never once forgot how he felt walking his oldest daughter – his little girl - down the aisle.